Skydivers land safely when plane loses power

RAEFORD, NC (AP) -- Four skydivers and a pilot are safe after their plane lost power during a flight in Hoke County.

The Fayetteville Observer reported that a single-engine Cessna 206 had engine trouble at about 1,100 feet Saturday. The parachutists jumped out, landing safely in a field off U.S. 401. The pilot landed the plane in a field about a half-mile away.

Hoke County Emergency Management director Freddie Johnson says no one was injured.

43-year-old Mike Elliott says he and the other skydivers had departed from the Raeford Airport en route to a parachute demonstration in Fayetteville.

He says most of the skydivers are former members of the Golden Knights, the Army parachuting team.

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